The Benefits of Preceptorship

Abstract

Primary care registered nurses (RNs) in rural and remote healthcare facilities play a vital role in managing complex patient populations and supporting continuity of care across the healthcare system. Effective orientation and preceptorship are essential to supporting RNs transition into primary care practice, promoting role clarity, and fostering professional confidence. This quality improvement project focused on the development and implementation of a structured primary care RN orientation framework paired with a formal preceptor program in a rural federal ambulatory care setting. Guided by the Model for Improvement, the project implemented standardized workflows, clearly defined nursing roles, and formal preceptor preparation to support RN transition and professional development. Stakeholder engagement, process analysis, and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were used to design, implement, and evaluate the intervention.